This invention relates to a wireless device for use in a local area network (LAN).
Most current wireless networking adapters use an omni-directional antenna, which has a maximum operating range of 300 feet. In many operating environments, it is desirable to have a greater operating range.
There have been some attempts to use directional antennas with wireless networking adapters. Some use an auxiliary antenna that is used as add-on to an existing wireless networking adapter. Such devices are undesirable because they are bulky, difficult to aim, and result in only negligible improvements in operating range.
There have been some attempts to provide a wireless networking adapter with an integrated directional antenna. Many of these devices use large directional antennas, such as a parabolic antenna, and therefore, are inconvenient to use—especially for laptop users. Those that use smaller directional antennas, such as a micro-strip patch, provide little improvement in operating range.